Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 386: The party unites to attack the dissidents!

Lan Yu's eyes flashed with ferocity.

In his entire life, apart from His Majesty and Chang Yuchun, few people dared to speak to him like this.

Lan Yu sneered and said, "Stop showing off in front of me."

"How can I not know what you scholars are like? You talk big, but when it comes to real action, you are all weaklings. I, Lan Yu, can not only make people convinced, but also beat them until they cry for their parents."

Xia Zhibai looked at the arrogant Lan Yu and shook his head lightly.

He said calmly, "General Lan, this is not the same as that time. You are brave in battle, and most people in the world know that, but you also need to be clear that you are a military general. From ancient times to the present, the world's most taboo is for military generals to get close to people. Moreover, war is war, and politics is politics. There is a big difference between the two."

“You may understand war, but you may not understand politics.”

"In your opinion, Your Highness was instigated by me and then had a quarrel with His Majesty, but how do you know that this was not His Highness's original intention? The Ming Dynasty has gradually emerged from the state of war, but from the court officials to the local people, many are still using the wartime system. At first glance, there is no problem, but in fact there are big problems."

"You are in a high position now, so it is difficult for you to feel it."

"However, if you were just an ordinary soldier, an ordinary farmer's son, you would not appear in front of me today and speak rudely to me. Instead, you would be grateful to me many years later. It was my suggestion that made the court re-examine the future direction of the world and lead the world towards a peaceful and prosperous era."

"in addition."

"I would also like to give General Lan some advice."

"read more books."

"In ancient times, Sun Quan encouraged people to study. I, Xia Zhibai, would like to give you another piece of advice. Studying may not greatly increase your military ability, but it can make you more insightful. The bravery you advocate may become less and less popular with the large-scale update of firearms."

“You also need to keep up with the times.”

"If you really care about His Highness, you should control your temper, know when to advance and when to retreat, and know your limits."

"Besides."

"You don't have to intimidate me or threaten me."

"Such tactics and tricks will not work on me. I came from troubled times and have seen the bloody world, the graves of bones, and the corpses everywhere. I have seen what you have seen, and I may have seen what you have not seen. You have a noble aura, because since you can remember, General Chang Yuchun has already made a name for himself, and you are also very talented and have made rapid progress on the battlefield. It is not an exaggeration to call you a child of destiny."

“But that’s also why.”

"You have not experienced the hardships of General Chang Yuchun and General Xu Da, so it is difficult for you to empathize with many things in the world. You may even think that they are just abuses. Before my shop opened, this Kyoto Avenue was full of mud-brick houses, and there were only a handful of houses taller than three meters."

"But in just two years, the mud-brick houses gradually disappeared and were replaced by brick-brick houses."

“That’s the change I bring.”

"The change I, Xia Zhibai, want is not limited to this street, but the whole world."

“People who have suffered so much from war deserve a better life.”

"And this is also His Highness's purpose."

"It is normal to have disputes, conflicts, and contradictions, but as long as you can turn differences into consensus, the world will burst out with amazing potential. This potential will be beyond your imagination, and at that time, it will also benefit you a lot when you lead troops in the future."

"The war is fought for supplies!"

"As time goes on, personal abilities will continue to weaken." "You know this better than I do."

Lan Yu glared at Xia Zhibai fiercely. His original intention was to teach Xia Zhibai a lesson, because Xia Zhibai had caused Zhu Biao to be scolded by His Highness. As Zhu Biao's elder brother-in-law, he was unhappy. However, he was scolded by Xia Zhibai instead. Lan Yu clenched his fists tightly, and veins bulged on his neck.

But he was stopped by Chang Sheng who was standing beside him.

Chang Sheng asked, "You mean His Highness will be alright?"

Xia Zhibai sneered, rolled his eyes speechlessly, and said, "Your Highness is His Majesty's eldest son, and the crown prince that His Majesty personally trained. Even if His Majesty is angry, it is impossible for him to abolish His Highness. He is just unhappy."

Chang Mao said coldly: "Who can believe your words?"

"I heard that you were very close to Zhu Di when you were in Peking."

Chang Mao's eyes were gloomy and his expression was very unfriendly.

As Zhu Biao's close ministers, they were actually very resistant to Xia Zhibai, especially the Prince of Jin, the Prince of Yan and others, who had never concealed their ambitions. They had always been secretly on guard against them, and even asked Zhu Biao to take action and suppress them secretly. Now that Xia Zhibai was giving Zhu Biao advice, he caused Zhu Biao to anger His Majesty.

How could they not worry?

It is not impossible that Xia Zhibai did it on purpose, letting Zhu Biao provoke His Majesty and then achieve his own unspeakable secret.

Xia Zhibai shook his head.

He said calmly, "I did have contact with the Prince of Yan, the Prince of Jin and other princes, but didn't I have contact with Your Highness for a longer time? The essence of the accusation is that you are a group of people who think that I should not be around Your Highness. As people close to Your Highness, you have reason to examine officials on His Highness' behalf."

Chang Mao's face froze.

Although their thoughts were exposed, the three men did not blush or breathe heavily, and did not take it seriously at all. They came here to warn Xia Zhibai to stay away from Zhu Biao. They did not want Zhu Biao to be too much influenced by Xia Zhibai, and then affect his status in the heart of His Majesty.

Chang Sheng said, "You are just an outsider, is it wrong to be on guard?"

Chang Sheng didn't care about that and just said it out loud without any hesitation.

Xia Zhibai said: "Your Majesty has said it many times, the world has been unified, there is no distinction between north and south, and there is no distinction between relatives and strangers, noble and humble. If you force a distinction here, if it falls into the ears of His Highness, I am afraid that people will be dissatisfied."

Lan Yu sneered and said disdainfully: "Do you think we are the same as you? What is our relationship with His Highness? We have been friends since childhood. How can someone like you who came out of nowhere compare to us?"

Xia Zhibai said: "That's indeed not comparable, and I don't want to compare."

"We don't even have the same opinion."

"I have no intention of arguing with you, nor do I have the intention of quarreling with you. If you have any objections, you can just tell His Highness directly."

"As a loyal minister, I, Xia Zhibai, will not restrain my temper. I will say whatever I want without any scruples. Although you are powerful and influential in the court, in my eyes, you are no different from ordinary people."

"Instead of worrying about His Highness, you should worry about yourselves. No matter how arrogant you continue to be, one day His Highness will not be able to protect you."

"With that said, I'll take my leave."

Xia Zhibai bowed to the three of them, then turned and walked towards the salt shop.

(End of this chapter)